21st Century Spin

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
With a retro sound that finds a current need for existence, modern rock group The Maccabees create memorable rock-n-roll with uncompromising lyrics, pleasantly-shrill background vocals and clever arrangements on 21st Century Spin. Shrewd lyrical spins emerge brilliantly from a head-spinning display of rushing guitars, drums, saxophone, and keys.

Tracks:

Slow Train
Under Paris Skies
Tombeau de Couperin I Prde
Tombeau de Couperin V Menuet
Tombeau de Couperin II Rigaudon
La Vie en Rose
Konzertstus 79 Finale: The Feast
Rondo all Zingarese
Tambourin Chinois
Dein Ist Mein Ganzez Herz
Kai Kett
Kai KettI
Kai KettII
Romanian Caravan
Turkish Medley
Danny Boy

Album Description

Quartetto Gelato are one of Canada's best selling and most acclaimed classical artists, having sold over 150,000 units internationally. Since their debut in 1994, Quartetto Gelato has won the hearts of audiences worldwide with their unique blend of sparkling technique, musical finesse and humor.

Quartetto Gelato have had sold-out repeat performances in New York, Washington, Vancouver, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, Calgary, Tokyo, Edmonton, Seoul and Hong Kong.

The group now consists of original members Cynthia Steljes on oboe and English horn, tenor Peter De Sotto on vocals and violin and new members Alexander Sevastian (three-time first prize-winner of the International Accordion Competition) on accordion and piano and Kristina Reiko Cooper (Doctorate of Music from the Juilliard School of Music and winner of the 1999 Walter M. Naumberg Chamber Music Competition) on cello.

Their latest release "Travels the Orient Express" follows the route of the storied train that runs from London to Istanbul. The songs change and shift in theme and style as the scenery would outside the traveler's compartment window. Travels the Orient Express is an exciting musical journey for the listener.

Information on the band can be found on their website.

Customer Reviews:

A long-awaited return.......2004-11-30

I love Quartetto Gelato, so perhaps I'm not the most objective reviewer. But I had some fears that the group might not be as great as it used to be after some personnel changes. I approached this CD with some trepidation.

QG is not the group it used to be, I must admit. But...the new QG is every bit as good as the original, just different now.

The CD is a great concept, a musical voyage on the classic Orient Express. The opening track, "Slow Train," represents London and is rather melancholy and sets the tone for a nostalgiac trip on a train voyage that (at least as far as I know) is no longer running. ("Slow Train" is by the British comedy team Flanders & Swann, an uncharacteristically solemn piece.)

Paris is represented by Ravel's "Tombeau de Couperin," brilliantly arranged, and by two familiar chestnuts, "La Vie en Rose" (giving Peter a chance to do Piaf), and "Under Paris Skies," giving new accordianist Alexander Sevastian a chance to strut his stuff.

"Konzertstuck" and "Rondo al1 Zingarese" give us a taste of Munich, and then cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper excels outrageously on Kreisler's "Tambourin Chinois," representing Vienna. Standing in for Budapest are Lehar's "Dein Ist Mein Ganzez Herz" and Kodaly's "Kallai Ketos".

My two favorite tracks come next. Bucharest is represented by an original piece, "Romanian Caravan," an energetic piece redolent of gypsy wagons and open fires. And "Turkish Carnival," for Istanbul, is another original piece, utterly intoxicating in its exotica, bringing images of odalisques, harem guards, and all the gaudy delights of the Near East.

The CD winds up with a return to the UK with "Danny Boy," bringing the voyage full circle.

Yes, it's light stuff, but it's good light stuff. I was once lucky enough to see QG live and they are a group who truly enjoys what they do, and their concerts have a sense of fun and delight that few classical performances have. Their CDs (I have them all) do capture some of that, and for that reason alone they're worth the attention of all classical music fans.

Average customer rating:

Tranquility Base
David Miles Huber
Manufacturer: 51bpm.com
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001K2LYM
Release Date: 2002-10-31

Tracks:

InnerBase
Rennaisance
Serenitatis
Lunacy
Tranquility Base

Album Description

Travel thru space & time in a chilled, downtemo mode with evocotive tracks and chill-out grooves that are designed to put a slo-spin on the 21st Century pace of life.

A 51bpm collection of base beats that places the listener in a lush, ambient environment filled with soothing textures, acoustic instruments, vocals and natural soundscapes.

Surround/3D: If you have a home theatre or surround sound system with Dolby ProLogic ), please "turn it on". The sound will spring to life from all the speakers in the room. If not, the 3D effects of this recording can be heard thru a standard stereo system.

21st Century Spin
Average customer rating:
21st Century Spin

Manufacturer: N.A.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000ZJ6DM
Release Date: 2003-10-28